PMEVBO 41

It was worth the effort to retrieve the holy book that had been gathering dust in the corner.

(8/15)

With one more praise achieved, my completion rate has now surpassed 50%.

My greedy self wanted to ride this momentum and aim for 100% completion, but pushing too hard from day one felt like it could backfire. So today, I let Seriha off the hook. It was a bit disappointing, but three on the first day wasn’t a bad haul.

…This guilt is no joke.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was exploiting a kind, innocent person for my own selfish desires.

……Well, truth be told, that’s exactly right.

It wasn’t just limited to Seriha. Paf and Iser were the same. Every time a quest succeeded, I felt joy and relief, but I also felt an equally intense guilt.

But I’m a selfish bastard, so I couldn’t abandon the quests. I had to clear them all to return to the reality where my brother was waiting.

Come to think of it, is the heroine’s influence real…?

I was on my third praise quest, and over half the targets were people dear to the heroine. Her younger brother Iser and the male lead Seriha. Though I hadn’t seen a single strand of the actual heroine’s hair.

There was another point that bothered me.

…Why are only sub-quests popping up?

It had been nearly a month since the possession, yet all I’d been given so far were sub-quests. If there were ‘sub’ quests, then ‘main’ quests should naturally exist too. Especially since the character stats window clearly listed a main quest section.

Main Quest: Loading…

…When the hell is this main quest going to activate?

What, how hard could it be that it’s taking this long……? Scary. So scary.

As soon as I entered the room, my eyes met Iser’s. The porridge and toast in front of him hadn’t changed since I’d brought them a little while ago.

“What? You weren’t eating?”

Iser silently nodded. I sighed and sat down in the seat opposite him.

“I told you to eat first.”

Before grabbing the holy book and leaving the room, I had said,

‘I’ll be right back. Eat first.’

He nodded and said he understood, so why didn’t he eat and just waited? It made me feel bad.

“This won’t taste good once it gets cold.”

“It’s fine. I like everything.”

Iser’s mouth opened again just as I lifted the ladle to scoop my portion of porridge.

“You made it for me. And since I’m eating it with you… I like everything.”

He smiled as he took a spoonful of porridge.

…He wasn’t usually the type to express his likes and dislikes so actively. An Iser who wasn’t sensitive or prickly felt so unfamiliar.

Was the shock of being kidnapped that intense?

But Iser’s expression and demeanor seemed far too relaxed for that to be the case.

……Well, I guess I’ll just watch for now.

“Glad you like it.”

Contrary to my worries, the porridge had cooled just enough to be perfectly edible. Only after taking a bite did I realize how hungry I actually was. I buried my nose in the bowl and began devouring the porridge.

While a bowl of porridge and a piece of toast filled my stomach, Iser silently finished his own bowl. As soon as his bowl was empty, I promptly refilled it. Iser, staring down at his bowl as if it had magically returned to its full state, suddenly asked.

“Hey. Did you happen to meet someone named Abel?”

“How did you know that?”

I asked in shock, stopping midway through tearing the paper wrapper of the second piece of toast.

Iser, who had been staring at me with his chin resting on his hand, slowly lowered his eyes. Then, stirring the surface of the porridge with his spoon, he answered flatly.

“I just guessed.”

“How did you manage to guess so accurately? That’s impressive.”

Iser looked at me with an expression of bewilderment, then abruptly crossed his arms and turned his head away.

.…..I complimented him, so why is he upset?

I was once again painfully aware of my terrible compliment skills when Iser sighed and spoke.

“Earlier, the maid told you the Tirovis Merchant Guild visited, right? And half a month ago, the handkerchief wrapped around your hand had ‘Tirovis Merchant Guild Abel’ written on it. …So I just took a guess.”

So basically, he meant he guessed correctly because he was smart.

…No, how could he still remember a name he saw just briefly half a month ago? Part of me wanted to praise him for being smart. But I remained silent, afraid I might inadvertently hurt Iser’s feelings again.

It was just as the second toast was swimming down into my stomach.

“…Lucariel.”

Iser, who quietly addressed me, was like a cat that had stopped sulking and was now subtly walking closer. Even with that expressionless face, he seemed to be timid.

I chuckled softly and replied.

“Yes. What?”

Instead of answering, Iser reached out toward me. Just as his fingertips were about to touch my forehead, his hand stopped abruptly. The hand grasping at air slowly withdrew.

“…Is it uncomfortable?”

His low voice cut through the silence.

“……What?”

“Your hair. You kept brushing it back.”

“Ah…….”

Only then did I realize I’d been constantly pushing my hair back. Lately, my bangs kept blocking my vision. Come to think of it, I’d never cut my hair since the possession.

“Guess it’s time for a haircut. I’ll get it done later.”

But even as an exiled criminal, I didn’t have the nerve to shove my head in front of the busy castle people. That left only one option.

‎ So this is how I end up giving myself my first haircut.

A hollow laugh escaped my lips. Just then, Iser asked cautiously.

“…Should I cut it for you?”

“What? You?”

“……Yes.”

My surprise was brief; I nodded readily.

“If you’ll do it, I’d be grateful.”

Only then did Iser begin quietly eating his porridge, his face looking relieved.

***

The river of stars where the moon was hidden.

The foam of starlight, striking the moon and shattering into pure white, stung my eyes.

Beneath the moon, high in the cloudless sky, the long Milky Way flowed.

Thanks to the unusually bright moonlight, the room was as bright as dawn, even without a single candle lit.

Moonlight filtering through the large window of the fifth-floor room bathed the marble floor in silver. I sat cross-legged there.

For some reason, Iser’s beauty salon operated at night. Only after clearing the dishes following dinner could I finally get the haircut I’d been longing for.

But the cutting tool wasn’t scissors, it was a blade. Watching Iser pick up the dagger resting on the table, I frowned.

What if he cuts himself…

But it felt a bit hypocritical for me, the clueless adult who’d asked a child to cut my hair, to offer unsolicited advice. Fortunately, Iser’s grip on the dagger looked quite practiced. Even wearing gloves, he began cutting my hair with the blade without much difficulty.

In the quiet room, only the sound of hair being cut could be heard. After a short while, Iser handed me a hand mirror.

“How’s it look?”

“……”

Seeing me silently staring into the mirror, Iser cautiously asked, gauging my reaction.

“Don’t you like it…?”

Is that even a question?

“I wish my hair would never grow back like this.”

I added earnestly, still staring into the mirror.

“Iser, you’d be in big trouble if you went cutting hair anywhere else. You’d just end up crushing people’s spirits for no reason.”

It wasn’t just idle talk out of fear of hurting someone’s feelings. I feel terribly sorry to all the hair stylists I’ve met throughout my life, but Iser’s cutting skills completely outclassed them. ……How on earth did he cut it so perfectly? I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Then Iser chuckled softly and said one thing.

“You’re overreacting.”

“I’m not overreacting, you idiot.”

I turned around quickly, thinking I needed to make eye contact for my sincerity to get through. But Iser’s face was closer than I expected, and…….

In the end, my lips touched his cheek. A ticklish sensation brushed against my lips. Before I could even register it, Iser held his breath.

A suffocating silence settled over the room.

Even the moonlight seemed to hold its breath.